1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to an information processing system, an information processing apparatus, and an information communication method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with the widespread of wireless communication technologies, the stage is becoming set that allows freedom of connection among information devices irrespective of time and place. In such connections among information devices through wireless communication technologies, the use range is less restricted than that in connections through wired communication technologies. Therefore, for users, operations using information devices through wireless communication technologies are advantageously easy (for example, document printing by remote control). On the other hand, however, for wireless communication, settings for connection among wireless devices often require more complex operations compared with communication through wired communication technologies. For example, when a user is in a working environment, such as an office, the user can reduce a user's own setting operation by asking a person skilled in communication technologies, such as a system administrator, for communication settings. However, a mobile worker working out on the road, for example, has to set a connection by oneself, and this setting operation is a considerable burden.
To get around this problem, in a technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-163791, a portable communication terminal transmits instruction information to an information processing apparatus by using a short-distance communication function and, with this instruction information, the information processing apparatus performs settings allowing a long-distance communication function and obtain a large capacity of data from the portable communication terminal. According to the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-163791, a user uses the portable terminal device to set a multifunction peripheral (MFP) desired to be connected for communication and only coming near to the MFP is enough for establishing short-distance communication, thereby allowing the user to perform an easy connection for communication.
In the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-163791, however, even a short-distance communication with the MFP is established, once the user moves to the outside of the area for that short-distance communication, the user can no longer perform a short-distance communication with the MFP with which the short-distance communication has been established, and therefore has to again come near to that MFP and transmit instruction information. This disadvantageously restricts a user's moving range. Moreover, the user cannot transmit instruction information unless the user brings the portable communication terminal in the range of short-distance communication with the MFP. Therefore, for example, when a user outside of the range of short-distance communication desires to print document data based on instruction information, the user has to once come near to a relevant MFP, requiring a long time until completion of printing and degrading work efficiency.
Furthermore, the MFP has a “trial printing” function, in which, when a user desires to print document data to produce a plurality of prints, only one print is produced first to allow the user to check the print state of that document. Even when the user checks the print state and then desires the remaining prints, such a print instruction cannot be transmitted through long-distance communication. Still further, even when the user is near an MFP and document data with a relatively small capacity, such as a small number of pages, is printed from that MFP, it is required to first switch the communication method from already-established short-distance communication to long-distance communication and then print the document data. This puts a considerable operation burden on the user.